Definition of wipe

in film or videotape production, transition where one image appears to wipe the preceding image from the screen. Wipes are used most frequently and most effectively when a rapid succession of scenes is desired. There are several different types, including a flip wipe (in which the entire scene appears to turn over like the front and back of a postcard), a horizontal wipe or vertical wipe (in which an image moves from side to side, or from top to bottom or bottom to top), a diagonal wipe or closing door wipe (in which an image moves in from both sides), a circle wipe or iris wipe (in which a new image comes in, in a circle that grows bigger and bigger, or an old image moves out, in a circle that grows smaller), or a clock wipe (in which images sweep around the screen in a clockwise or counterclockwise motion).